Tribesmen blow up oil pipeline in Yemen

Sana'a, November 19, 2011- A group of Yemeni armed tribesmen has blown up an oil pipeline in the impoverished Arab country's eastern province of Marib, a local Yemeni official says.

The incident took place in the Sirwah area on Friday, Xinhua news agency quoted the official as whose name has not been announced.

The motivation behind the pipeline explosion is not clear. The security authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.

The pipeline has been targeted a number of times in the recent months.

Besides tribal problems, Yemen has also been in the grip of political unrest.

Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out for regular demonstrations in Yemen's major cities since January, calling for an end to corruption and unemployment and demanding the ouster of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who took office in 1978.